When hospitals invest in a new patient dining experience, the equipment behind the scenes matters just as much as the menu. At UAB Medicine in Birmingham, Ala., one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, that means delivering approximately 3,600 patient meals a day across more than 1,200 licensed beds while maintaining the highest standards of quality, efficiency and patient care. As the hospital prepared to launch a new in-room dining menu and service platform, it saw an opportunity to elevate the entire dining experience at once.
“Serving a hospital of this size requires efficient operations, dependable equipment and a strong focus on providing an exceptional patient experience with every meal served,” said Leticia Skinner, Patient Service Director at UAB Medicine.
Three Cambro healthcare solutions helped make that transformation possible.
Production manager Jeff Jones said his number one complaint about their old trays was that they didn’t hold up well after going through the dishwasher every day. Plus, they had to use tray mats to make sure items didn’t slide around on the tray during transport.
After adopting Cambro’s non-skid trays a few years ago, UAB Medicine was able to eliminate both the extra cost of tray mats and thousands of pounds of trash going into landfills each year, without sacrificing the security of each item on their trays.
“The design prevents spills and locks components in place. Once we deliver to the patient, everything looks exactly how the chef intended it to look when it hits bedside. So, you don’t have any of the shifting, everything’s perfectly in place and the presentation remains as awesome as it was from the time we trayed it in the kitchen to the time we delivered it at bedside,” said Felicia McKinzy, Front-of-House Food Service Manager at UAB Medicine.
When Skinner began planning their new menu and platform overhaul, she wanted new, state-of-the-art trays to go with it.
Using Décor Series EpicTread™ Camtrays®, Skinner was able to choose vibrant, eye-catching designs with a QR code permanently printed on the surface to bring together function and aesthetics.
“When we designed our trays, we wanted them to reflect both UAB medicine and our commitment to the patient experience. We incorporated the UAB logo, so that the trays represent our organization, but we also intentionally chose colorful food images to make the trays feel more inviting and exciting. For many of our patients, one of the few choices that they have during their hospital stay is their meal. We wanted the tray itself to create a positive first impression, get patients excited about food and bring a little brightness to their day,” said Skinner.
Skinner will use the QR code to collect real-time patient feedback about the dining experience and allow patients to easily access the menu with their phone. Rather than using paper menus, the QR code will allow UAB to save time and reduce waste.
“That immediate feedback will allow us to recognize our staff for outstanding services, quickly address opportunities for improvement and continue enhancing the patient experience.”
Healthcare facilities with tight doorways, busy hallways and shrinking kitchen space know that it can be difficult to find a meal delivery cart that fits their needs. At UAB Medicine, not only were their previous meal delivery carts hard to maneuver through their floor plan, but the team also faced three additional challenges.
- Cleaning: The old carts were difficult to clean; parts would dry out and require greasing, and doors would become warped.
- Disruptive: Nurses and patients alike would complain about how loud their old carts were.
- Temperature: Keeping food at safe, satisfactory temperatures is paramount for the staff at UAB Medicine, and their old carts weren’t making the grade. “With the old 6 to 8 count metal carts that we had, we were consistently racing against the clock,” said McKinzy.
With the purchase of seven ProServe MDS1520T8 Meal Delivery Carts, UAB Medicine was able to address its service delivery issues and reduce patient complaints.
“The biggest shift for our patients and our staff, especially for our patients, is to see the absolute temperature control. With the Cambro cart, we can keep the food safely at a 140°F temperature; it completely eliminates the cold food clock. We can deliver to the farthest room on the top floor, or the farthest section of the hospital. It changes the service from a stressful sprint to a relaxed delivery,” said McKinzy.
“The new carts with their new dynamics, glide easily down the hallway. From the back of the house perspective, they are easy to keep sanitized, compared to the old metal ones. The team is just really excited because it removes the anxiety of having to deliver a subpar meal, and it also increases their delivery efficiency as they’re able to take more trays than they were originally able to take with our old 6 to 8 count carts.”
Jones counts their two Cambro beverage service carts as some of the most popular items they use. Stocked with coffee, hot chocolate, water and snacks, the beverage service carts are beloved by nurses and patients alike.
“It’s big, but it rolls easily. No matter what you put on there, it still rolls or glides across the floors, so it’s a whole lot easier for my ladies to take it around,” said Jones.
“We get emails every day about the patients and nurses loving the ladies up there. They keep wanting to add more units. Every day, I’m getting emails: ‘Add more units.’”
BONUS: Camshelving® and Drying Racks
What patients don’t see is all the work behind the scenes that allows these three products to deliver an excellent in-room dining experience. By relying on Camshelving Premium Series mobile units and angled drying racks, UAB Medicine is able to combine durability, mobility and ease of maintenance.
“The shelving units help us maximize storage space and keep supplies organized and accessible, while the drying racks allow equipment to air dry properly between uses. Both are also easy to clean, which is especially important in a healthcare environment where sanitation and infection prevention are top priorities. Having equipment that is dependable, easy to maneuver and simple to maintain has helped us improve efficiency while supporting a safe, organized, and flexible workspace,” said Skinner.
Rolling out a new in-room dining program is an opportunity to improve every touchpoint of the patient meal experience, from the kitchen to the bedside. By pairing their new menu and service platform with dependable Cambro healthcare solutions, UAB Medicine will strengthen the efficiency of their meal delivery operation while providing the high level of care patients expect. Whether a healthcare facility is serving hundreds or thousands of meals each day, Cambro healthcare products work together to ensure food is delivered safely, efficiently and at the proper temperature.
